A stretch of uninhabited, low-lying reefs in the South China Sea is fast becoming a dangerous new flashpoint between China and the Philippines, dealing a blow to recent efforts to de-escalate tensions in one of the world’s most vital waterways.

The Philippines suspects China is attempting to reclaim land at Sabina Shoal. It has pointed to underwater mounds of crushed coral on Sabina's sandbars, which its coast guard filmed, saying Beijing is using that material to expand the shoal. Chinese state media has called such accusations "groundless".

Sabina Shoal, situated approximately 75 miles from the Philippine province of Palawan, is one of the most contentious features in the Philippines' territorial dispute with China. The shoal lies within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ), granting the country exclusive rights to natural resources under international maritime law.

China said key habitat index values in the reef area were within the suitable growth range. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Chinese and Philippine officials have traded accusations over a clash between their ships near a disputed reef in the South China Sea. The Philippines said a ship belonging to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources – the BRP Datu Sanday – “encountered aggressive and dangerous maneuvers from eight Chinese maritime forces” on Sunday while attempting to deliver diesel,

Skirmishes between Chinese and Philippine ships in recent days have opened a new flashpoint in the South China Sea, shortly after the two nations struck a deal to ease tensions at another hot spot.

China Coast Guard says the Philippine side ‘will bear all the consequences’ if it does not refrain from escalating the situation at disputed coral atoll.

The collision is the latest in a series of escalations at Sabina Shoal, where China and the Philippines are engaged in a monthslong standoff.